Our governance

Ian has worked in the City of Coventry since 1992, joining Coventry University as a Lecturer in Engineering. He was appointed Provost in 2018 and is Chief Academic Officer. Ian is passionate about high quality education that has the power to transform the lives of individuals, their families and indeed communities. He has developed a reputation for innovation in education, creating Coventry University College Ltd. in 2012 and Coventry University Online Ltd. in 2017. Ian chairs the National Centre for Entrepreneurship in Education, promoting entrepreneurial organisational leadership.

Ian has been a school governor for more than 20 years in Coventry, now working with a range of schools in Coventry, Warwickshire and Birmingham. He is also a Justice of the Peace for Coventry and Warwickshire and a Trustee of Relate Coventry and Warwickshire.

Ian was delighted to be appointed Chair of the Coventry School Foundation in Sept 2021, with an ambition to support the work of outstanding education in the Foundation schools.

Duncan gained a BSc(Hons) in Metallurgy from Manchester University and an Executive MBA from Cranfield School of Management.  He started his career at Rolls-Royce and Bentley Motors where various commercial roles developed into Head of Product Strategy.  He has been a consultant for over 20 years, 16 years of which were at KPMG as a consultant and partner leading change for government and private sector organizations.  After a brief stint as commercial director for a corporate finance boutique in 2017, Duncan continues to provide consultancy services to various governments around the world.

He was appointed to the board in March 2021, is Vice Chair of the Trustee Board and a member of the Finance and Resources sub-committee.  Duncan also sits on the Nominations sub-committee.

Rosie is the Group Finance Director at University of Warwick. She is a member of the Executive Board and leads the Finance and Estates departments with a particular focus on strategy and strategic projects. Prior to Warwick, Rosie worked at senior manager level at the accountancy firms Grant Thornton and Price Waterhouse, specialising in advising family-owned businesses, SMEs and professional partnerships.

Rosie is a graduate of St Mary’s College, Durham (Mathematics and Economics) and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICAEW) and a member of the Chartered Institute of Taxation. She is currently a Trustee of the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, as well as a Trustee for Coventry School Foundation.

Rosie was awarded an OBE in the Birthday Honours List in October 2020 for her services to Higher Education, Innovation and Enterprise in the West Midlands.

She was appointed to the board in December 2021 and is Chair of the Finance and Resources sub-committee, plus a member of the Nominations sub-committee.

Phil gained a BA (Hons) from Middlesex University and a MA Leadership & Management from Coventry University. Phil started his career in policing with the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP), serving in a number of roles across the UK and abroad. In 2003 he joined West Midlands Police (WMP), undertaking a number of operational and strategic roles; he then retired from policing in December 2020. Phil is now self employed and provides consultancy/associate services to various companies and organisations regarding leadership/management training and investigative aspects supporting local authorities and other organisations. Phil is a Governor at a number of other schools across Coventry, and also undertakes other voluntary roles.

He was appointed to the board in October 2020 and is the Safeguarding Governor as well as a member of the Education and Oversight Committee.

Daryl is a Chartered Management Accountant and has also gained a PGDip in Business from the University of Leicester. He works in central government and has held a wide variety of roles covering frontline operations, policy, finance business partnering, internal consultancy and strategic finance.

Daryl was first appointed to the Board in February 2020 and reappointed in February 2023. He is Chair of the Education Oversight sub-committee and a member of the Joint Consultative Negotiating Committee.  In addition, Daryl is the Safeguarding Governor lead for the Foundation’s Junior Schools and The Grange, and he sits on the Nominations sub-committee.

Nathan’s educational background is in science, culminating in a PhD in microbial genetics where he spent time as a visiting student at the School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin Madison. Following graduation, Nathan embarked on a career in University academic administration, working in a number of academic departments culminating in being appointed Director of Administration at Warwick Law School, a position he held for six years. Nathan then moved into central administration at the University of Warwick, initially undertaking project work on behalf of the University’s Registrar. Nathan is now Head of the Student Complaints and Academic Casework Team based in the Education Group at the University of Warwick leading on policy and regulatory matters both with internal and external stakeholders.

Outside of work, alongside being a Governor of the Coventry Schools Foundation, Nathan is a member of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator’s Higher Education Advisory Panel in their role as the alternative dispute resolution body for Higher Education in England and Wales.

Nathan was appointed to the board in June 2022, and is Chair of the Audit & Risk sub-committee.  In addition, he is a member of the People and Wellbeing and Nominations sub-committees.

With extensive primary school teaching and leadership experience in London and Warwickshire since she began her career in the 1990s, Mrs Emma McCann is currently the Executive Head Teacher at Sidney Stringer and Radford Primary Schools.  She led the building of Sidney Stringer Free School in 2016, and has recently overseen a greatly-improved Ofsted inspection at Radford Primary School.  Emma’s experience of two schools with a very different demographic to our Foundation will no doubt provide a valuable perspective for us.  

Emma was appointed to the board in March 2023.  She is a member of the Education Oversight sub-committee.

After leaving the Sixth Form at Bablake in 2014, Josh completed a BSc in Biochemistry at UCL. Despite his relative youth, Josh has already developed experience as a Governor, serving as Chair of ‘Thrive Coventry’, a small charity supporting under-privileged young people in our city.  Josh has worked as an analyst at UBS and consultant at Price Waterhouse Coopers, continuing to support young people through various outreach programmes whilst he was at both organisations.  He now works MedTech space in Galway, Ireland, having recently completed a fellowship at the University of Galway.  Josh is enthusiastic, motivated and, most of all, passionate about his commitment to the Coventry School Foundation.

Josh was co-opted as a member of the Finance & Resources sub-committee in September 2023.

Having completed his A Levels at King Henry’s, Clive attained a degree in Geography at the University of Manchester, followed by a PhD in Social Science (Medical Geography) from the University of Bristol.  Clive’s varied career includes several years living in Turkey, as well as working in strategic consultancy, HR strategic management and marketing analysis & strategy.  He has worked for both Coventry and Warwickshire County Councils in social services and, having been ordained in 2011, he is currently the Healthy Churches Development Enabler for the Diocese of Coventry.  

Clive has extensive previous experience as a Governor in Cumbria and Yorkshire, and an interest in special needs education and pupils’ spiritual wellbeing and welfare.

Clive was appointed to the board in March 2023.  He is a member of both the People & Wellbeing and the Audit & Risk sub-committees.

Stephen is Director of Digital Services at Coventry University Group, with responsibility for providing the digital and technical capability for the University Group.

He is an engineer by background and began work at Coventry in 1999 as a programmer and DBA. Within this role he developed and supported the University’s core business systems such as student records, finance and HR. In 2011, Stephen became Assistant Director of IT Services at Coventry with responsibility for the University’s IT Infrastructure, covering servers, storage, middleware, networks and desktops. It was around this time that he began the University’s move away from a traditional on-premise infrastructure, first to a managed service arrangement and then towards a cloud offering. In 2018, he then moved on to become Chief Technology Officer, developing and promoting the digital architecture and strategy for the Group.

In 2021 he was appointed as Director of Digital Services for the University Group and is presently involved with a wide range of projects, including embedding a fully agile, digital operating model to underpin the delivery of digital change across the Group.

Stephen was appointed to the Board in June 2023, and is a member of the Audit & Risk and Finance & Resources sub-committees.

Dr David Kershaw CBE has extensive experience in school and university education throughout a varied and fascinating career spanning over 60 years.  During his twenty years as Headteacher at Coundon Court, his expertise was sought through secondments to and consulting for Local Education Authorities.  Driven by a strong personal motivation for supporting and raising the aspirations of Coventry and District’s young people, David has collaborated with the Department of Education as, amongst other roles, an advisor to newly-appointed Headteachers, and for schools in challenging circumstances.  Currently, David continues to advise the Department of Education.  In 2017 David set up a Trust which successfully turned around Lordswood Boys’ School in Birmingham, an achievement of which he is especially proud.  A published author, David has served as a Labour Councillor, has been a Governor for several local schools and Academies and, since 2014, has been an active Trustee for the Coventry Church (Municipal) Charities.  

David was appointed to the board in March 2023, and is a member of the Educational Oversight sub-committee.

Patrick Sullivan began his career in Automotive Engineering with Rover Cars in 1989 as an apprentice, progressing to Interior Trim Manager.

During his tenure, he contributed to the engineering and launch of iconic models such as the Range Rover, Defender, and Jaguar XJ. In 2005, Patrick transitioned to self-employment and now owns an award-winning local estate agency. Passionate about giving back, Patrick volunteers in Malawi, refurbishing schools and supports dementia care in the UK through the HOPE charity. He joined the board in December 2024.